The present invention relates generally to a conveyor belt assembly and more specifically to a conveyor belt support structure used in conjunction with a conveyor belt having a plurality of interlocking segments.
Conveyor belts are commonly used to move products through a manufacturing facility. They can be used to move a wide range of products such as machined parts, electronics, foods and pharmaceuticals.
One common conveyor assembly uses interlocking plastic sections to form a conveyor belt. Each plastic section is hingedly attached to two adjacent plastic sections along parallel axes. Together, these interlocked plastic sections form a continuous loop that is used as a convey belt. One typical manufacturer of this type of convey belt and associated assembly is FlexLink. Their products are shown and described in The FlexLink Catalog, copyright 1998, and Conveyor Systems and Automation Components Product Overview, copyright 1998. Both of these documents are available from FlexLink, and are incorporated herein by reference. FlexLink may be contacted in the U.S. at FlexLink Systems Inc., 1530 Valley Center Parkway, Suite 200, Bethlehem, Pa. 18017, telephone 1-800-782-1399, or in Sweden at FlexLink Systems AB, Norden, SE-415 50 Gotxc3xaborg, telephone 1-46-(0)31-337 31 00, or on the Internet at http://www.flexlink.com.
A conveyor assembly made by FlexLink will include a plastic conveyor belt, at least one conveyor beam, an idler end unit and an end drive unit. In addition, the conveyor assembly may include one or more vertical or horizontal bends, guide rails and other related components.
The conveyor beams manufactured by FlexLink are constructed of extruded aluminum. These conveyor beams offer a number of advantages. For example, they are inexpensive to manufacture at virtually any length. For shipping, the aluminum conveyor beams may be cut at fixed lengths. Then, to construct a longer conveyor belt assembly, a number of the fixed length conveyor beams are easily jointed using conveyor beam connectors. The lightweight aluminum provides for easy construction and resists corrosion in most manufacturing environments.
The extruded aluminum conveyor beams, however, also suffer from a number of limitations. For example, in some manufacturing environments, the aluminum conveyor beams suffer from corrosion damage. In addition, some manufacturing facilities must be kept extremely clean. One example of this type of plant is a pharmaceutical or food plant. In these environments, cleanliness is of absolute importance. While extruded aluminum conveyor beams are commonly used in this environment, their construction tends to collect dirt and dust along interior and exterior surfaces that are difficult to clean.
Moreover, in pharmaceutical plants, careful inventory must be maintained of the product. If a conveyor belt is in any way disturbed so that pills, capsules or other products are spilled, industry protocol requires every effort to account for any lost product. Due to its construction, extruded aluminum conveyor beams typically include an interior surface that is difficult to see without dissembling the conveyor belt. As a result, when such a conveyor assembly suffers a disturbance that causes a spill, the lost product may be difficult to recover.
A number of prior art sanitary conveyor systems address these problems. These sanitary conveyor systems may be constructed of stainless steel, or other metals and materials. These sanitary conveyor systems, however, typically require difficult assembly such as drilling or welding at the installation site. Moreover, these sanitary conveyor systems typically offer only limited configuration options without incurring extensive modification work.
According to one aspect of the invention, a conveyor assembly includes a conveyor beam that has an upper face, a right side wall and a left side wall. The right and left side walls are connected along the right side of the upper face and the left side of the upper face, respectively. Preferably, the right and left face each define a concave surface, but other configurations, including a convex surface, are also acceptable. Together, the upper face, the right side wall and the left side wall of this conveyor beam define a first interior channel. The conveyor assembly also includes another conveyor beam having the same construction as the above-described conveyor beam. A connector fits within the interior channel defined by the two conveyor beams to form a friction fit between the two conveyor beams. The connector has an upper face and a right and left side. The right and left side connect along a right and left side of the upper face, respectively. One end of the connector fits within one conveyor beam, and the other end fits within the other conveyor beam.
According to further aspects of the invention, a plurality of arms are arranged along the first and second conveyor beams. Each of the arms has an upper portion and a lower portion. The lower portion matches the profile of the conveyor beams and engages one of the conveyor beams to form a friction fit therewith. A pair of bars run parallel to the conveyor beams and are supported by the upper portion of the plurality of arms. A conveyor belt rests upon the pair of bars, so that an upper portion of the conveyor belt and the upper face of the conveyor beams define an open space that is accessible from either side of the conveyor housing.
According to further aspects of the invention, the right and left side walls each define a concave surface bounded by the right and left side walls of the first and second conveyor beams. The concave surfaces each include two inclined surfaces configured so that the upper inclined surface meets the upper face at an acute angle. The two conveyor beams each include a lower face connected to the right and left side walls. The lower face defines a slot configured to receive a lower portion of a conveyor belt having a plurality of interlocking plastic segments. The two conveyor beams are each constructed from a single sheet of stainless steel or any other malleable metal or material. The conveyor housing also includes two plastic caps. These cover the edges of the slot along the lower face.
According to further aspects of the invention, the right and left side walls each define a convex surface bounded by the right and left side walls of the first and second conveyor beams.
According to still further aspects of the invention, the connector defines a plurality of threaded holes each configured to receive a threaded rod. The threaded rods engage the upper surface of the conveyor beam to form a rigid, friction fit. The conveyor housing also includes a pair of support arms secured along opposite sides of the conveyor beam. The lower portion of the support arms match the profile of the conveyor beam. The support arms are secured by a tension member and a compression member positioned substantially between the two support arms. The upper surface of the support arms define a slot configured to hold a support blade in a substantially vertical position. These support blades are covered by plastic caps that support the conveyor belt.
According to additional aspects of the invention, the conveyor includes a wheel bend coupled to the first conveyor beam. The wheel bend includes an upper and a lower wheel configured to support an upper and a lower portion of the conveyor belt, respectively. An axel connects to the center of the upper and the lower wheel. A curved vertical support beam connects with the axel. The vertical support beam has a radius of curvature centered about the axel. This radius of curvature is greater than the radius of the upper and the lower wheel.
According to another aspect of the invention, a conveyor belt assembly includes a conveyor beam, a connector and a conveyor belt. The conveyor beam has an upper face aligned along a substantially horizontal plane, two side walls fixedly attached to the upper face along opposite sides of the upper face, and a lower face fixedly attached to the two side walls. The lower face of the conveyor beam defines a slot configured to engage the conveyor belt. The connector forms a friction fit with the conveyor beam. The conveyor belt has a plurality of individual plastic segments each of which is hingedly attached to two adjacent individual segments.
According to additional aspects of the invention, the connector has an upper face, a first and a second side wall, and at least one threaded rod configured to form a friction fit within the conveyor beam.
According to further aspects of the invention, the conveyor belt assembly includes a leg support arm having a right and left arm positioned on opposite sides of the conveyor beam. A tension member draws the right and left arm together to form a rigid friction fit with the conveyor beam.
According to a further aspect of the invention, the conveyor belt assembly includes a beam attachment bracket configured to attach two conveyor beams in parallel.
According to still further aspects of the invention, the conveyor belt assembly includes two vertical arms. These vertical arms mount against opposite side walls of the conveyor beam. The conveyor belt assembly also includes two support blades each aligned along a substantially vertical plane. Each support blade rests upon one vertical arm. An upper portion of the plastic conveyor belt rests upon the support blades. The support arms are held in place by at least one bolt and a pin. This configuration provides a rigid, friction fit.
According to still further aspects of the invention, the conveyor belt assembly includes a pair of accessory brackets positioned along opposite side walls of the conveyor beam. The accessory brackets form a rigid friction fit with the conveyor beam but do not engage the support blades. The accessory bracket provides support for a guide rail or other accessory.
According to still further aspects of the invention, the conveyor belt assembly includes an attachment block. The attachment block defines a slot that engages the support blades. A threaded rod is turned through the attachment block to form a rigid friction fit between the attachment block and the support blade. The attachment block also defines a hole configured to receive an accessory. Again, a threaded rod is turned through the attachment block to form a rigid friction fit between the attachment block and the accessory.
According to another aspect of the invention, a conveyor belt support structure includes two channels, two vertical support arms, a compression member and a tension member. The support structure is especially suitable for use in conjunction with a plastic conveyor belt having a plurality of interlocking segments. The channels have an upper surface and two walls connected along opposite sides of the upper surface. The vertical supports are positioned along the channel in pairs. The compression member is positioned between one such pair of vertical supports. The tension member joins that pair of vertical support arms.
According to another aspect of the invention, a method of manufacturing a conveyor support assembly includes constructing two support channels by bending a sheet of metal. The support channels each have an upper surface and two side walls. The two support channels have matching profiles. A connector is also formed by bending a sheet of metal. The connector includes an upper surface and two side walls configured to fit within the profile of support channels (also termed conveyor beams). One end of the connector fits within one support channel and the other end of the connector fits within the other support channel. Threaded rods secure the connector within the support channels to form a secure, friction fit. Support arms are placed along opposite sides of the support channels. The support arms are configured to support a conveyor belt. A tension and a compression member are placed between the support arms so that the support arms are rigidly attached to the support channels. The attachment of the support arms does not require drilling in or welding to the first support channel.